An Exemplar for Evidence-Based Nursing Practice Using the Magnet® Model as the Framework for Change: Oral Feeding Practice in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Implementation of research evidence into practice can be challenging in areas such as the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), where the environment is complex and rapidly changing and caregiving goals have shifted from simply infant survival to supporting positive long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes. Clinical nurse specialists (CNS) are ideally positioned to use research to obtain new knowledge, innovations, and improvements in care as part of an interdisciplinary team. The authors describe the role of the CNS in changing NICU culture around feeding infants, an important and frequent nursing activity, with the Magnet model as the framework for change. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.